2018 July Newsletter

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Included in this newsletter

  1. Upcoming events.
  2. Featured Topic (Strategic planning)
  3. Breaking news and current events
  4. Water Bill Reminder
  5. Tax Bill Reminder
  6. Website updates
  7. How to contact the District of Eidelweiss District office and the Commissioners.
  8. Links to Commissioners and Committee Meeting minutes.

Upcoming events

  • Aug 04 - Aug 12      Madison Old Home Week   Full schedules available throughout Town
  • Aug 05 2:00 pm      EPOA scavenger hunt; begin at Eidelweiss Beach
  • Aug 11 3:00 pm      EPOA Family games at Eidelweiss Beach
  • Aug 15 1:00 pm      Asset Management Committee at the Eidelweiss office
  • Aug 18 9:00 am      EPOA meeting at the Lodge.
  • Aug 18 5:00 pm      EPOA Pig Roast at the Lodge
  • Aug 19 2:00 pm      EPOA Family Fun at Eidelweiss Beach
  • Aug 25 6:00 pm      EPOA Family games at the Lodge
  • Sept 22 all Day       Hazardous Waste Disposal – CONWAY TRANSFER STATION
  • Every Tue. 8:00 amCommissioners meeting at the Eidelweiss District Office.

Strategic Planning for VDOE

Many improvements within the District have occurred in the last 5-10 years.  With the addition of a dedicated Asset Management Team, extensive planning efforts are being completed for the long-term benefit of the VDOE.  With a capital improvement plan that has been carefully developed, the Commissioners are able to make focused decisions for actions.

The Water System has undergone tremendous improvements including upgrades to the SCADA system, well rehabilitation at Muddy Beach as well as booster pump replacements with variable frequency drives, pump house upgrades to Oak Station and Jungfrau station, tank inspections for the 30,000-gallon storage tanks and lining of the 30,000-gallon tank at Summit station, Planning is underway for replacement of the Reinach tanks, which were not candidates for lining.  Planning is also be done with a full cost analysis for replacement of the 5,000-gallon tanks within the system.

The equipment being used by the DPW is in good shape and included in the strategic planning based on anticipated useful life.  The F-550 is scheduled for replacement in 2019.  Specifications and pricing are being developed for proposal of a replacement for this truck.

Regular road maintenance, including ditching and culvert work, has been focused on for the last three years.  The VDOE now has a full culvert inventory of all road culverts including GPS coordinates.  Snow plow operations have benefited from the addition of brine as a tool to fight ice and the ponds will benefit long term from reduction of road salt.

The DPW crew has been completing courses and maintaining certifications through the UNH Technology Transfer Center Road Scholar program.  The reduced turnover in staff of the last 5 years has been beneficial as the crew gains additional skills to keep the roads in great condition.

Upcoming News Letter Focus Topic:

  • Tank replacement and the Reinach pressure zone

Breaking News and Current Events:

  • Commissioner Ron Sandstrom has returned to the private sector to focus on his businesses. His position will be filled at the next annual meeting.
  • The Reinach water system tank planning is ongoing with input from the districts engineers. A working meeting with DES is being scheduled to take place.  When the schedule is ready, a notice will be sent out through the VDOE email list to provide the location and timing for the meeting.
  • Meetings took place with Conway Water District with a review of their accounting software and practices along with a look into how they handle flex time. The district is looking into an upgrade to the accounting system.  The software being reviewed is made for municipal governments and fully compliant with current regulations.  Many of the current manual processes are included in the proposed system which will benefit both record keeping and workflow.

Water Bill Reminder: 

This is a friendly reminder that the water bill was due on 5/1. A late payment penalty was assessed to any property owners who have not paid this bill. Any property owners who haven’t paid by August 1st will be assessed an additional $100 late fee.

Tax Bill Reminder:

Taxes were due in the town of Madison on July 5, 2018.

Website updates

If you have photos of the district and would like to share them so that they may be included on the site, please send them to office@vdoe-nh.org.  We will review and select the best photos for use with the site.

How to contact the District Office:

  • The VDOE has an official website and sends out emails with emergency notifications. Be sure to visit the website at www.vdoe-nh.org and enroll.
  • The VDOE has a “see something / say something” policy. Anyone who sees something suspicious or unusual should report it for the benefit of the VDOE community to the Madison Police at 603-367-8334 (non-emergency line).
  • Office hours and guidelines have been added to the website to make it more convenient to schedule appointments with the District administrator. Click Here for Office Hours.

The office can always be contacted via email with questions, concerns and suggestions. Messages will be forwarded from the office to the commissioners. The email address is office@vdoe-nh.org

Links to Commissioners and Committee Meeting minutes:

Please take a few moments to review the minutes from these hard-working groups.